Belt-buckle



E. N, HUMPHEEY,

BEL? BUCKLE.

APPLxcMxoM .FILED Nov. 22. ism

1,381,12L, q @Mmmm mi.,

UNITED STATES PATENT ortica.

' ERNEST N. HUMPHREY, or NEW BRITAIN,l ooNNEoTIcUT.

BELT-strekte.

specification ef Lettersratent. Patented June 14, 1921.

Application led- November 22,: 1920. Serial No.- 425,753. '1

To aZZwLOm it may concern: Y j

Be 1t known that I, ERNEST N. lHUM- PHREY, a citizen of the United' State of America, residing at New Britain, Hartford county, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Belt-Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved belt buckle of the so-called slide buckle type, that is to say, of the type in which a slide automatically operates to grip a strap or belt at any desired position of adjustment.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction by simplifying the same, and by reducing the number of parts.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention with belt ends associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a section on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. l, showing the parts in a position in which the belt is free to be adjusted;

Fig. 3 is a side view or edge elevation of the parts in the belt-gripping position;

Fig. 4 is a section of the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the buckle frame; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the buckle slide.

In the preferred construction, the buckle comprises only two parts, to-wit, a frame and a slide. The frame may be formed from sheet or wrought metal by suitable dies, and comprises two downturned side bars l1 connected at their outer end by a transverse cross-bar 2, and at their rear end by another transverse cross-bar 3. Projecting beyond the rear end may also be a tuck loop 4. The sides l-l are provided with the slotted portions 5-5. The slots in these side bars eX- ltend longitudinally of the frame, and the edges thereof form guideways or supports for the slide. The slide comprises the main body 6 which may be formed o-f sheet or wrought metal. The forward part of the slide is provided with a transverse slot or passage 7, while forward of the passage 7 is a cross bar 8, which is preferably corrugated or suitably bent to slightly increase the overall thickness for the purpose hereinafter described. The rear end of the slide plate is provided at its opposite edges with substantially flat inturned ears 9-9. These 'ears stand in the slots 'in the opposite side bars of the buckle frame and are supported by the edges of said slots so that the slide plate will beheld snuglyv against the underside of the main body. The dimensions of the ears 9-9Pare such that the slides may be moved to and fro to a limited extent. 10-10 are integral inturned ears on the opposite sides of the buckle frame below the bar 3, these ears being preferably provided for the purpose of securing the belt end ll, which latter may have a metallic connecting strap l2 folded in such manner as to embrace the strap end, and to also form pockets for the bearings 10-10 as best seen in Fig..2. The Slot 7 in the belt gripping slide is so positioned that when the slide is pushed into the position shown in Fig. 2, (wherein the ends 9-9 rest in the rear ends of the slots in the frame) the free end 14 of the strap may be pushed through the slot 7 and through the central passage in the frame. When the belt end 14 is. straightened out to the position shown in Fig. 3, and tension is` applied, it will, by reason of its engagement with the cross bar 8, pull the slide forwardly so as to cause the rear edge of the slotted portion 7 to pinch the belt between it and the adjacent edge of the cross bar 2, as best seen in Fig. 4, thereby preventing further slippage of the belt or strap. The eXtreme free end of the strap may be tucked under the loop 4 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. By preference the gripping slide is bent angularly intermediate its ends and along a line parallel with the slot 8, thereby causing the said two parts of the buckle to bear against each other with a slight spring tension to prevent rattling. Obviously, the belt may be connected to the buckle in any desirable manner other than that shown in the drawings. The corrugatng of the cross bar 8 provides an irregular edge against which the strap pulls, said irregular edge affording more friction thanwould a smooth straight edge, and therefore being of sub-V stantial advantage.

What I claim isl. A belt buckle, comprising a main body portion including two downturned side bars, each of said bars having a longitudinal slot toward its rear end, two transverse cross bars connecting the downturned side bars at their front and rear ends, a gripping slide having a slot near its forward end, two oppositely positioned substantially flat ears l near the rear end and at opposite'edges of said grlpping slide, the length of said ears being less than the length of said slots, said ears standing in said slots and supported by the upper and lower edges thereof` to hold said gripping slide in position at the underside of the main body, said slide having. `a gripping portion arranged to co-act with the transverse bar at the forward edge ofthe main body to hold a strap therebetween.

2. In a belt buckle, amain body comprising two side bars connected at their front and rear ends bytwo transverse bars, two elongated slots longitudinally disposed in the opposite side walls osaid Inain body,

Y ing a bar, said bar being corrugated to form an irregular strap engaging edge, that part of the slide `at the-rear of the slot (zo-acting with a portion of the main body to grip and hold a strap when said slide is moved for wardly. ERNEST N. HUMPHREY. 

